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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. rush — hurry
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. spell — letters
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. rash — a series
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bark — to shout
  14. wax — to grow
  15. rash — hasty
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. fork — in a road
  20. spell — magic
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. branch — a division
  23. spell — a short time
  24. branch — of a bank

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com